AERODYNAMICS - This crucial aspect of race
car design and tuning defines how the car moves through the air and how areas of
high and low pressure can be generated and manipulated to maximize down force
while minimizing drag. In Atlantic this includes the airflow underneath the car,
generally referred to as "ground effects".

ANTI-ROLL BAR/ Sway Bar/ Stabilizers-
This is a mechanical linkage, set up for both the front and rear suspension,
that helps keep the car from "rolling over" in the corners. This
complex linkage helps keep all four tires gripping the track, and is adjustable
by the driver using levers within the cockpit. Also called a sway bar.

APEX - The geometric center of a corner.
In racing, a driver will often use a "late apex", turning into the
corner a little later than normal in order to straighten out the last part of
the corner. This allows the driver to accelerate earlier and harder, gaining
maximum speed down the subsequent straightaway.

ATLANTIC - The KOOL/Toyota Atlantic
Championship is a premier driver development series, and runs as a supporting
event for many CART races. The series also has a coveted spot at the Montreal
Formula One Grand Prix and is the featured event at the Trois-Rivieres Grand
Prix in Quebec. Current and past standouts who graduated from this series
include World Champion Jacques Villenueve, Indy 500 Winner Danny Sullivan,
Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Patrick Carpentier, Richie Hearn and Jimmy Vasser.
1997 Championship winner Alex Barron is the latest Atlantic graduate to go
directly to CART, landing a ride with Dan Gurney's All American Racers for 1998.

B

BACKMARKER - A car running near the back
of the field.

BALACLAVA - The fireproof hood that most
drivers wear under their helmets to avoid burns to their face and neck.

BANKING - On oval tracks, the corners are
often tilted inwards to provide higher speeds. On some road courses, certain
turns may actually be banked outward, a very difficult type of corner known as
"off-camber".

BLACK FLAG - This flag is used by the
starter to signal a driver that he or she must immediately report to the pits
for consultation related to a dangerous mechanical condition or a driving
infraction. Failure to heed the flag can result in exclusion from the final
results of the event. This flag may be displayed in a "furled" (rolled
up) manner as a warning. Corner workers may also display a black flag if the
session has been halted by the display of a red flag by the starter.

BLUE FLAG - This flag is used by corner
workers around the track to signal a driver that a faster car is either
approaching (steady flag) or actually attempting a pass (waved flag). The driver
being flagged has no obligation to do anything other than be alert, maintain the
racing line and avoid intentionally obstructing the faster car.

BODYWORK - The exterior of the car. The
bodywork is generally made from lightweight carbon fiber and is made to come
apart in sections, providing access to certain mechanical components. Bodywork
is carefully sculpted to maximize aerodynamic efficiency.

BRAKE BIAS - In most cars, including
streetcars, pressing on the brake pedal applies a little more force to the front
brakes than the rear. This is designed to take advantage of the fact that under
braking, weight transfers to the front of the car. With lots of weight on the
front tires, the brakes can be applied very hard without completely stopping the
wheels from rotating. At the same time, the rear of the car tends to get lighter
so the rear brakes must be engaged less strongly than the fronts to avoid
locking the wheels and possibly losing control. In a racecar, brake bias is
adjustable by the driver to compensate for changing conditions.

BRAKE FADE - When the fluid in the brake
system exceeds its boiling point due to hard use, bubbles can form in the brake
lines and calipers. Since these bubbles can be squeezed smaller by pressure from
the brake pedal, the pedal tends to "go soft" and may even go to the
floorboard without the brakes working properly.

BUMP - In shock absorbers, a bump
adjustment is a change to the dampening of the shock on the compression stroke.
As a car passes over a bump on the track, each wheel assembly rises up to pass
over it. Without compression dampening, the inertia of the wheel assembly would
cause it to continue to rise after the bump until the spring finally overcomes
the inertia and pushes the wheel back down. Since a tire can't do any work while
in the air, bump dampening stops the upward inertia and allows the tire to stay
in constant contact with the pavement. Bump adjustments can also affect how the
weight of the car shifts around during braking, acceleration and cornering.

C

CAMBER - An element of chassis tuning.
Each tire can be tilted inwards or outwards depending on the track. The usual
idea is to tilt the top of the tire inwards (negative camber) so that under
cornering loads, the entire surface of the tread is being used to the maximum.
On oval tracks, since the car only turns left the left-side tires may actually
be tilted outwards (positive camber). Teams adjust the camber setting based on
reading tire temperatures across the surface of the tread, with the goal of
having equal temperatures on the inside, middle and outside edges. This
temperature equilibrium indicates the tire is being used to its maximum
capacity.

CASTER - Another element of chassis tuning
related to the front wheels. The front wheels are attached to the suspension at
the top and bottom of the wheel assembly. The top attachment is typically set a
little farther back than the lower attachment, creating caster. The more caster
used, the more the wheel resists turning forces, providing stability. Too much
caster makes it very difficult to steer, and causes the tire camber to change
excessively as the wheel is turned.

CATCH FENCE - At most oval tracks, or in
any place where the crowd is close to the track, catch fences are used to stop
cars and car parts from flying into the crowd in the event of a crash. One of
the most dangerous flying parts in a crash are the wheel assemblies, which can
bounce very high.

CAUTION PERIOD - When an accident happens,
or for other reasons such as debris on the track or a sudden downpour, the
officials may put the track under caution by waving yellow flags at the starter
stand and around the track. This brings out the pace car to gather the field and
lead them around at reduced speed until the time for a restart.

CHAMP CAR - In the early days of
open-wheel racing, this term was used to differentiate the cars actually
participating in the National Championship from other types of open wheel
racing. This popular terminology has been re-adopted for the CART FedEx
Championship in 1998 and beyond.

CHASSIS - The basic structure of a car,
including the driver tub, gearbox and suspension. Engines are provided
separately. In Atlantic racing, the new American-built Swift A.008a is the
machine to beat after several years of domination by the British Ralt RT-40 and
RT-41.

CHECKERED FLAG - This black-and-white
checked flag is the most famous in racing, signifying the end of the session or
race. At the end of a race, the first car to receive the checkered flag at the
finish line is the winner.

CHICANE - A quick succession of
opposite-direction turns, usually intended to reduce excessively high
straightaway speeds.

COMPOUND - Tires are extremely important
in Atlantic, with Yokohama providing one of the best tires in racing. Compound
refers to the chemical composition of the rubber tread, which requires a balance
between the conflicting goals of traction and long wear.

CORNER WEIGHTS - This refers to the
distribution of a car's weight among the four wheels. Management of these corner
weights is very important to handling. This weight is usually adjusted through
raising and lowering each corner by rotating a threaded spring perch on each
shock absorber.

CORNER WORKERS - The quiet heroes of
racing. These volunteer workers will travel across the country at their own
expense, eating peanut butter sandwiches and sleeping in tents to provide
flagging and marshalling duties around the track. Their expertise is one of the
keys to the tremendous safety record of Formula Atlantic, and the drivers waving
to the corner workers at the end of an event it is a reflection of their
acknowledgement of the contribution these great people make. If you are
interested in getting involved in this sport, volunteering for training at club
racing events around the country is a great way to get immersed in the action.
Contact the Sports Car Club of America at 303-694-7222 for more information.

D

DATA ACQUISITION - Atlantic teams use
sophisticated sensors and software to provide information on what the car is
doing. Everything from engine stress to steering wheel position can be
monitored. This information is analyzed to provide a basis for improvements to
handling, performance and even driver technique. This data acquisition can be
accomplished by connecting a computer to the car, or by use of wireless
telemetry.

DIFFUSER - This piece of bodywork is
underneath the rear of the car and is intended to manage airflow as it exits. A
good diffuser design can generate significant down force.

DIRTY AIR - At high speeds, down force on
the front wings can be disrupted by following closely behind another car. The
rear wing of the car in front tends to push the air higher, creating a very
turbulent low-pressure area directly behind the car. A car following closely
often will suffer understeer as a result of being in this "dirty air".

DOWNFORCE - The wings on a Toyota Atlantic
car are set up opposite from an airplane. Instead of providing lift, they are
used to press the car harder onto the track providing increased traction for
braking, acceleration and cornering. Down force is also provided by the
ground-effects tunnels on each side of the car. A modern Atlantic car provides
so much down force that it could actually stick to the ceiling at just over 120
miles per hour. Increased down force also results in increased drag, so a
tradeoff is required.

DRAFTING - A fast-moving car creates a
low-pressure area behind it, causing the air to try and move with the car. A car
following behind can take advantage of this low pressure as it actually sucks
the car along faster, known as "being in the slipstream". A savvy
driver can either use the draft to pass, or to lift off the gas slightly and
conserve fuel.

DYNO - A condensation of
"Dynamometer", a device used to test an engine in the shop by
simulating the loads and environment a racing engine encounters.

E

ENGINE - The power plant for the cars of
Atlantic are provided by Toyota. The 4A-GE engine is assembled by Toyota Racing
Development in California, and is an incredibly light and reliable source of 240
horsepower at 10,000 rpm.

F

FLAGS - Flags are used to signal drivers
of events or conditions. Flags used in Atlantic include green, white, white and
red, black, checkered, blue, yellow, red and red/yellow. See each individual
color for an explanation of what each flag means.

FLAT SPOT - If a driver locks a tire
(brakes so hard that the wheel stops turning entirely), a flat spot will be
created on the surface of the tire. This can create a vibration so bad that the
car is almost undriveable.

FORMULA CAR - Formula car is a term to
define open-wheeled racecars that must fit within a specific set of design rules
or "formula". The formula for Atlantic is quite complex, but basic
issues include minimum weight, engine displacement, vehicle dimensions, wing
sizes and placement, ground-effects tunnel size and configuration, tire and
wheel size and safety considerations.

G

GEARBOX - Refers to the transmission
attached to the rear of the engine. The new Swift chassis integrates a
"sequential" shift pattern, which is more like a motorcycle gear
change than the traditional "H" pattern we all use on our street cars.

GREEN FLAG - The green flag is used by the
starter to signal drivers that the race is underway, either at the start of the
event or at the conclusion of a full-course yellow flag condition.

GRID - The starting order of cars, as
determined by qualifying position.

GROUND EFFECT - This describes the nature
of airflow near the ground. In airplanes, this refers to a cushion of air that
builds up as a plane nears the ground. In racecars, this refers to artificially
generated low-pressure areas underneath the car, which help it adhere to the
ground. This is done by use of three-sided ground-effect 'tunnels' on each side
of the bottom of the car, which start off small near the front and gradually get
bigger towards the rear, creating a vacuum as the car moves forward using the
ground as the fourth side of the tunnel. This is carefully managed by Atlantic,
using rules which specify the dimensions of the tunnels and how high the outside
edge of each tunnel must be from the ground. The greater the gap between the
tunnel side and the ground, the more vacuum escapes and the less down force is
generated.

GURNEY FLAP - On the front and rear wings
of an Atlantic char, there are often small vertical strips set at 90 along the
trailing edges of the wings, set at 90 degrees to the plane of the wing. These
flaps provide significant down force with a minimal amount of drag by greatly
reducing turbulent air behind the wing. On the rear wing it can be easily
exchanged for a flap of different size during a pit stop. CART team owner Dan
Gurney is generally attributed with creating this device, which is also known as
a "wickerbill".

H

HAIRPIN - A sharp, 180 degree turn.

HEAT CYCLE - A
tire that has been heated up through use and then cooled down has experienced
one heat cycle. This often results in a slight hardening of the tire compound,
which can make the tire perform at a high level for a longer period of time. See
Scrubbed Tires.

HORSEPOWER - A measure of an engine's
maximum output in terms of torque over a period of time. An Atlantic car
provides 240 horsepower to move a weight of 1,190 pounds. A typical medium-sized
family sedan produces around 150 horsepower to move 3,000 pounds.

I

INFIELD - The portion of a racing facility
that lies inside the boundary of the track.

K

KEVLAR - A brand name for a certain type
of carbon fiber, used in everything from driver's helmets to bodywork to the
bullet-proof vests used by police. A very strong and lightweight material.

KITTY LITTER - This term describes two
things: the absorbent powder used to soak up fluid spills on the track (often
actual kitty litter) and the gravel runoff areas on the outside of certain road
course turns used to slow cars that go off the track.

L

LINE - This is the quickest way around a
race circuit, taking advantage of braking, cornering and acceleration
techniques. For example, the line for a typical right-handed corner would
involve lining up on the left side of the approaching straight, braking hard,
turning in all the way across the track to the inside curb, and then unwinding
the steering wheel on the exit to release the friction of the turn, which takes
the car back across the track to the outside again. The idea is to use the
maximum amount of arc possible to maintain the greatest speed through the
corner. The line is often visible due to the rubber laid down by cars, and
interestingly is not the shortest way around the track, just the fastest.

LOOSE - Same as Oversteer. Typically
describes a cornering condition where the rear tires lose adhesion before the
front tires, resulting in a car that feels like it wants to spin easily. This is
one of the most unpleasant sensations for a driver at high speed. Solutions
include adjustments to tire pressure, increasing the angle of the rear wing to
press the tires harder to the ground, softening the rear anti-roll bar setting
or spring rates in order to provide more grip, or by making changes to reduce
grip at the front such as reducing the front wing angle or stiffening the front
anti-roll bar setting or spring rates. Here is an easy way to remember whether a
car is loose (oversteer) or tight (understeer), as originally described by Bobby
Unser, "If the front end hits the wall, it's understeer. If the rear end
hits the wall, it's oversteer".

M

MARBLES - Bits of rubber are scrubbed off
of racing slicks while cornering. These small balls collect on the outside of
the turn, and if a car goes wide (into the marbles, or into "the grey",
referring to the lighter appearance of an area covered with marbles) then much
adhesion is lost. This often can cause a car to understeer straight into the
wall or off the track. With the tire competition between Goodyear and Firestone
leading to softer and softer tire compounds, marbles are more of a problem.
Organizers use street sweepers to clean these marbles off the track whenever
possible.

NOMEX - A fire and heat-resistant material
used to make driving suits, gloves, shoes, helmet liners, balaclavas and
underwear. Most Atlantic drivers wear four or five layers of Nomex, which can
provide as much as a minute of complete fire protection. When combined with fuel
bladders that are resistant to breaking open in a crash, the risk of fire has
been greatly reduced over the last 20 years. Much of this technology was
developed by the military.

O

OPEN WHEEL - Refers to any type of racecar
that does not have enclosed wheels. CART, Formula Atlantic and Indy Lights are
open wheel cars, as are the sprint cars, midgets and modifieds that run at local
Saturday night tracks all over North America. Stock cars and sports cars are
typically based more closely on production cars with the wheels enclosed within
fenders.

OVAL TRACK - Used to describe tracks with
a layout that incorporates some version of a circle, usually with a rectangular,
triangular or oblong shape, and incorporating either banked or flat turns.

OVERSTEER - Same as Loose. Typically
describes a cornering condition where the rear tires lose adhesion before the
front tires, resulting in a car that feels like it wants to spin easily. This is
one of the most unpleasant sensations for a driver at high speed. Solutions
include adjustments to tire pressure, increasing the angle of the rear wing to
press the tires harder to the ground, softening the rear anti-roll bar setting
or spring rates in order to provide more grip, or by making changes to reduce
grip at the front such as reducing the front wing angle or stiffening the front
anti-roll bar setting or spring rates. Here is an easy way to remember whether a
car is loose (oversteer) or tight (understeer), as originally described by Bobby
Unser, "If the front end hits the wall, it's understeer. If the rear end
hits the wall, it's oversteer".

OFF-CAMBER - Some turns on road and street
courses are actually banked outwards, which can make them very tricky to
negotiate. This is known as an off-camber turn.

P

PADDOCK - The area where the team
transporters are located, and where the teams work on the cars between on-track
sessions. This area is usually accessible to the general public.

PIT - The area where cars come in for
fuel, tires, adjustments and repairs during on-track sessions. The name
originated from early racetracks, where the mechanics actually stood in a
shallow pit where they could duck if an out-of-control car came their way.
Today, mechanics are protected by concrete walls, and the pit lane is segregated
from the actual racing surface.

POLE - This historic term refers to the
driver who starts at the front of the field on the inside of the front row by
virtue of the fastest qualifying time. The term originated at horse tracks,
where many of the original Champ Car races were held on dirt. The finish and
distance markers of a horse track are marked by poles set on the inside edge of
the track.

PUSH - Same as Understeer or tight.
Typically describes a cornering condition where the front tires lose adhesion
before the rear tires, resulting in a car that feels like it wants to go
straight. Solutions include adjustments to tire pressure, increasing the angle
of the front wings to press the tires harder to the ground, softening the front
anti-roll bar setting or spring rates in order to provide more grip, or by
making changes to reduce grip at the rear such as reducing the rear wing angle
or stiffening the rear anti-roll bar setting or spring rates. Here is an easy
way to remember whether a car is loose (oversteer) or tight (understeer), as
originally described by Bobby Unser. "If the front end hits the wall, it's
understeer. If the rear end hits the wall, it's oversteer".

Q

QUALIFYING - Qualifying determines
starting positions, and usually consists of the combined results from two
on-track sessions. Each car is timed, and the starting grid is determined by the
order of fastest cars. For road and street courses, all the cars are on the
track at the same time which requires careful management of track position in
order to avoid being blocked by a slower car. For oval events qualifying is one
car at a time, usually for two timed laps.

R

RAIN TIRES - Treaded tires used on a wet
track. Also referred to as "Wets".

RAKE - Most racecars are slightly lower at
the front than at the rear. This provides for a natural "ground
effects" tunnel under the car, and can also be adjusted to change the
weight distribution between the front and rear wings.

REBOUND - In shock absorbers, a rebound
adjustment is a change to the dampening of the shock on the expansion stroke.
Without rebound dampening, the car would tend to bounce as it passes over bumps
on the track. Rebound adjustments can also affect how the weight of the car
shifts around during braking, acceleration and cornering.

RED FLAG - This flag, when displayed at
the start/finish line, signifies an immediate halt of the session due to a major
problem such as heavy rain or an accident that is blocking the track. Corner
workers around the track will display black flags when this happens, and all
cars are required to stop racing and slowly return to the pits. The lap in
progress is discarded, and the field results to the order of the previous lap
when racing resumes. If the race has run more that 50% of the laps, the chief
steward has the option to declare a complete race if track conditions are not
expected to improve. If a race has run less that 50%, it will be concluded on
another date.

RED AND YELLOW FLAG - This striped flag is
displayed by corner workers to signify debris on the track, which can be oil,
sand, water or some other substance.

RIDE HEIGHT - This refers to the height of
the chassis above the ground. Because of the relationship between the height of
the ground effect tunnels and their performance, maintaining optimum ride height
is an important feature of car setup and design. However, it is hard to manage
since the faster a car goes, the more the aerodynamic effects press it to the
ground. Many very complex methods are used to maintain a consistent ride height.

S

SCRUBBED TIRES - Also known as Scuffed
Tires. Tires that have a few laps on them to remove the outer sheen and provide
more consistent traction. See Heat Cycles.

SETUP - There are a huge number of
variable adjustments which can be made to an Atlantic car to improve the
handling and performance. The driver with the best setup is in a good position
to win. A driver with a less than perfect setup can sometimes "hustle the
car" and compensate for the deficiency, but most drivers perform at their
utmost only when the car is comfortable.

SHUNT - British term for crash or
accident.

SLICKS - A racing tire with no tread.
There is a misconception that the tread pattern of a tire provides traction.
This is true in dirt, snow or on wet pavement, but on dry pavement the maximum
amount of "contact patch" is desirable.

SLIPSTREAM - See Drafting.

SPOTTERS - Teams on an oval track will
usually have a crew members on top of the grandstand, where they can see the
entire track and warn drivers of an accident or advise them where to go in
traffic.

STICKERS - A brand new tire, with the
manufacturer's sticker still on the tread.

T

TAKE A LOOK - A driver following closely
behind another car may dart momentarily to the inside of the entry to a corner,
pretending to attempt a pass in order to disrupt the concentration of the driver
in front and hopefully causing a small mistake.

TELEMETRY - The portion of data
acquisition that is transmitted wirelessly while the car is on the track.

TIGHT - Same as Push or Understeer.
Typically describes a cornering condition where the front tires lose adhesion
before the rear tires, resulting in a car that feels like it wants to go
straight. Solutions include more front wing to press the tires harder to the
ground, softening the front anti-roll bar setting or spring rates in order to
provide more grip, or by making changes to reduce grip at the rear such as
reducing the rear wing angle or stiffening the rear anti-roll bar setting or
spring rates. Here is an easy way to remember whether a car is loose (oversteer)
or tight (understeer), as originally described by Bobby Unser. "If the
front end hits the wall, it's understeer. If the rear end hits the wall, it's
oversteer".

TOE - In order to provide stable tracking,
all four tires are usually pointed slightly inwards if viewed from overhead.
More toe-in provides more stability but increased tire drag. On high-speed oval
tracks, these toe settings are even more crucial. Toe-out may be used in certain
types of cars and situations, but toe-in is more common. Teams usually adjust
toe with the most unsophisticated methodology seen in racing, using a string
around the outside of the car and a caliper to measure the difference in the
distance from the string between the front outside of the tire and the rear
outside of the tire.

TORQUE - A measure of engine power,
described in foot/pounds of force. 10 foot/pounds of torque would raise ten
pounds of weight one foot in the air. Horsepower is a measurement of torque over
a period of time.

TURN IN - As a car reaches a corner, this
is the moment at which a driver actually begins to turn the wheel. The timing of
this action and the car's response to it are crucial for setting fast lap times.

UNDERSTEER - Same as Push or Tight.
Typically describes a cornering condition where the front tires lose adhesion
before the rear tires, resulting in a car that feels like it wants to go
straight. Solutions include more front wing to press the tires harder to the
ground, softening the front anti-roll bar setting or spring rates in order to
provide more grip, or by making changes to reduce grip at the rear such as
reducing the rear wing angle or stiffening the rear anti-roll bar setting or
spring rates. Here is an easy way to remember whether a car is loose (oversteer)
or tight (understeer), as originally described by Bobby Unser. "If the
front end hits the wall, it's understeer. If the rear end hits the wall, it's
oversteer".

V

VORTEX - An area of revolving compressed
air. The most obvious examples are the vortices that are visible coming off the
rear wing of an Atlantic car in humid conditions.

W

WHITE FLAG - When used by the starter,
this signifies the last lap of the race. When used by a corner worker, it
signifies that a slow-moving vehicle is on the track.

WHITE AND RED FLAG - Used by the starter,
this white flag with a diagonal red stripe indicates to the field that an
emergency or service vehicle is on the track, and extreme caution should be
used.

WICKERBILL - Same as Gurney
Flap. On the front and rear wings of an Atlantic car, there are often small
vertical strips set at 90 along the trailing edges of the wings, set at 90
degrees to the plane of the wing. These flaps provide significant down force
with a minimal amount of drag by greatly reducing turbulent air behind the wing.
On the rear wing it can be easily exchanged for a flap of different size during
a pit stop. CART team owner Dan Gurney is generally attributed with creating
this device.

Y

YELLOW FLAG - If displayed by a corner
worker, this means the subsequent section of the track has a problem that
requires that drivers slow down and not make any passes. Usually this arises
because a car has crashed and is in a dangerous position. If the starter
displays two yellow flags, it signifies a full-course caution that prompts the
pace car to enter the track and lead the cars around at reduced speed.

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